Garden

23 Apr 2026
Genoa, Italy
Teatro della Tosse

Garden is a duet that explores how two people can create a shared space where something new begins to grow. Through intense physical dialogue, presence and technical virtuosity, the dancers become both support and terrain for one another, allowing unexpected and untamed forms to emerge. Drawing on Tero Saarinen’s roots in Butoh, the work moves between humour, sensuality and vulnerability while remaining grounded in beauty, empathy and warmth. Like in a garden, vitality and fragility coexist, opening toward possibility and constant renewal.

Duration
30 minutes
Premiere
23 April 2026, Teatro della Tosse, Genoa, Italy
Choreographer's note

“The idea came from two people developing a shared way of being while simultaneously creating something new, by acting as a kind of support or foundation for one another. It feels important to me, especially in these times, that a shared thought, desire or intention between two people can serve as a framework for something third – something new, or perhaps even something better.

As the material began to grow, branch out and take on a life of its own, the word Garden started to feel fitting: free, open and multifaceted. A garden needs light, nourishment and care, just as human beings need interaction. In this duet, through presence, interaction and technical challenge, I am searching for stranger and wilder forms – revisiting, in a way, my own roots in Butoh.

The piece contains physical humour and a sense of hedonism, yet also beauty, empathy and warmth. These two remarkable dancers, together with Mikki Kunttu’s lighting and Marko Nyberg’s sound world, create a stage universe in which the clouds begin to part – opening toward light and a more breathable future." – Tero Saarinen

Creative team

Tero Saarinen

Choreographer

Mikki Kunttu

Lighting designer

Marko Nyberg

Sound designer

Samu-Jussi Koski

Costume designer

David Scarantino

Dancer

Mikko Lampinen

Dancer

Credits

Choreography Tero Saarinen
Lighting design Mikki Kunttu
Sound design Marko Nyberg
Costume design Samu-Jussi Koski
Dance David Scarantino, Mikko Lampinen

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